


Moonlight and Honeyed Scales

by Rhitta, TheTiredGeneticist



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Lena stealer of warm things, coat stealer, when your girlfriend is a little snek beb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:47:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26956798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhitta/pseuds/Rhitta, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTiredGeneticist/pseuds/TheTiredGeneticist
Summary: A visit to the marina takes a surprising turn.
Relationships: Lena "Tracer" Oxton/Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	Moonlight and Honeyed Scales

Amélie Guillard was a woman of high expectations and even _higher_ minimum standards. Born into wealth, raised with her every need and want met, and a person almost no one said “no” to. She was an elegant and refined woman with very _specific_ tastes. She enjoyed reading a good book on the beach on her parents’ private island, attending lavish parties and enjoying good food with the few close friends she had. She enjoyed solitude as much as she did company with celebrities and noble folk alike. 

Her current predicament was far from any of this, and she had never been so uncomfortable. 

She had always loved visits from her cousin, Angela was closer than her parents were to her. She was a well known surgeon and they almost never got to meet up anymore, so when the blonde called her out of the blue and asked her if she was interested in a day out she jumped at the opportunity. She had expected a quiet lunch or a shopping trip, even. Angela was a woman of simpler tastes but she enjoyed a taste of the higher life every so often. 

But as her cousin pulled her by the hand towards the smell of saltwater and the sound of screaming children, she found herself completely out of her element. She had not been expecting.... this. 

“An... _aquarium_?” Her disbelief was lost on Angela as she eagerly paid for their wristbands and continued to drag Amélie towards the first set of tanks. It was certainly not what she was used to, but Angela seemed happy at least, and Amélie couldn’t help but bend to peer at the small fish swimming around their tank. 

"I'm volunteering here." 

"You mean the hospital kicked you out?"

"They said I needed a break. It's only been two years since I took a week off, they were overreacting!"

Amélie rolled her eyes, but smiled, as Angela continued further into the building. It was, well, it was far more intriguing than Amélie had expected. The small tanks at the front were minuscule in comparison to the next attractions. Floor to ceiling glass enclosed a huge column of rock covered in corals, sponges, and anemones of every color, and shoals of tropical fish swam in lazy circles around it. There were brightly colored blue tangs and angelfish, rays, and even a small green sea turtle. Despite herself Amélie found her phone in her hand, raised to thoughtlessly capture the spectacle like many families around her. Today was, perhaps, going to be fun after all. 

Amélie was glad, in the end, that she had brought her portable charger, after realizing that she had been so invested in taking photos that her phone was almost dead. It only proved to be a brief inconvenience, and her phone had plenty of time to charge whenever they took a break or grabbed a snack.

"They don't just have exhibits here, there is also a new rehabilitation program that they asked me to help with. It's been a while since I had to put my veterinary skills to the test but it's been exhilarating!" Angela explained, after they had finished their tour of the entire building, save for what looked like a recent add on towards the back that Angela was now leading her to. 

"After we found out about some rather unexpected victims of the fishing industry, and with so many in care already, the aquarium was asked to help rehabilitate. We have eels, lion fish, some manta rays, a dugong, and, well..."

Angela trailed off as they came to a stop in front of a massive tank, which was largely empty save for a large rock formation in the back. A long, slender tail was resting on the sand near the back of the enclosure, the rest of the fish hidden inside the large cavern formed by the rocks. Amélie couldn’t help but step closer to try to get a better look, now that they were in an area with fewer people. Brilliant golden scales glinted in the artificial sunlight, deepening to a rich orange towards the creature’s back and when Amélie squinted she could make out faint lighter orange stripes along the length of the tail. She could make out translucent fins tucked to either side of the creature’s body, two larger ones where the creature’s body hung out of the cave, and two more smaller fins halfway between the first ones and the tail. And what a tail it was. Large and reflecting the light, but tattered. When Amélie looked more closely, the fins were tattered too. The frill she spotted along the spine, too, was battered and lay flat against glinting scales, some of which, Amélie realized, were missing. Whatever it was, it was _beautiful_ despite its tattered condition. 

"She won't come out, hasn't since she arrived. She was hit by a trolling ship and has been here a few weeks. She only comes out at night." Angela explained, as she raised a hand to lightly tap on the glass. The tail immediately drew into the cave further. Angela sighed and opened her mouth to say more, but only sighed again as her gaze found something beyond her cousin and Amélie turned to see a tall, slender redhead trying (and _failing_ ) to subtly wave the Swiss doctor over. 

"It appears I'm needed. Would you mind keeping an eye on the tank while I check?" Angela, for the most part, seemed genuinely apologetic, despite the curiosity Amélie saw in her eyes. Her suggestion was obviously less of a request and more of a, " _stay here please so I don't get in trouble_." She smiled and nodded, graciously accepting the rolling office chair Angela provided before scurrying off. Amélie watched her go, before she sighed and spun the chair towards the tank again, watching as the creature inside slowly stretched and relaxed, tail falling flat against the sand again. She watched it for a bit longer, and when it made no move to leave its cavern she sighed again and pulled out a book from her purse. She popped her headphones into her ears and started reading. 

~

She had no idea how much time had passed, she was so absorbed in her book and lost in her music that she didn’t notice. Her fingers itched for her violin on occasion, begging to play along to the music, but this wasn’t the place for such a thing. She had, however, begun to hum, she didn’t know exactly when, but the room was empty so she felt comfortable continuing to do so. She bookmarked her spot and she tucked the book back into her purse, stretching and groaning before she resumed watching the tank, still humming. The moment she lifted her eyes from her phone she almost choked on air and fell out of the flimsy seat at what she saw. 

The creature was almost flat against the glass, one ear pressed against the tank wall as she seemed to _strain_ trying to hear something. The moment Amélie’s humming stopped their brow furrowed, and it seemed to strain even harder against the glass, stirring up the sand with its tattered tail.

Amélie quickly caught on to what she wanted and began to gently hum again while moving her chair closer to the glass. The look of distress on the poor creature’s face relaxed and it’s mouth opened in what looked like a relieved sigh. Amélie continued to gently hum, using the chance she had now to take a very close look at this marvellous creature. 

It… _she_ … was beautiful. She appeared recognizably human from the waist up, with tanned skin wherever she didn’t have scales. Her back and shoulders were covered in golden scales, with soft looking fins starting at the back of her neck and running the length of her spine to her tail. Her arms were also adorned with small glittery scales and fins on the backs of her elbows and wrists. Her hands were webbed and each finger was tipped with a curved claw. Her face was delicate, with large eyes and long, dark eyelashes and round cheeks splashed with a smattering of freckles and scattered yellow scales. Long, fragile fins stuck out where ears would have been, perhaps they _were_ her ears? Short, spiky brown hair made her look very tomboyish and _very_ cute as she strained to hear Amélie’s voice.

Amélie watched, still humming, as the creature slowly pulled its tail closer, coiling it around herself as she settled against the glass, like a snake. Her eyes were closed and her face was set in a concentrated expression as she listened.

She…. seemed to enjoy music. Or perhaps she was curious about it. Either way, it had been enough to lure her out of her cave and into the sunlight for the first time in who knew how long. Amélie took the opportunity to take in everything about her, from her beautiful fins and scales to… well. To the reason she was here, in recovery. 

Her sun kissed skin was bruised in places, and Amélie didn’t need to look for her worst injuries, they were all too apparent. Her skin was covered in bruises that ranged from almost-healed to still-forming, and where the scales had fallen off of her tail she could see bruised, damaged skin beneath. She had to be in so much _pain_.

As Amé finished the song she was humming and got ready to begin another, the creature looked up at the surface of the water, and she pushed herself up off of the bottom, tail coiling and uncoiling to propel her to the top. She was clearly _struggling_ , her progress slow and painful, and she gasped in air the moment her head broke the surface. 

Odd…. she did not have gills? Amélie’s eyes ran the length of the poor creature’s body, finding no slits or anything at all that looked like gills. Whatever this creature was, it breathed _air_. 

The creature remained at the surface for a few seconds more, desperately gasping, before she let herself sink back to the bottom of the tank, lying on the sand for a few moments before she began to push herself up. Her arms shook, even with the reduced gravity in the water. She looked completely exhausted. 

Amélie knelt next to the tank and raised one hand to the glass, hesitated, then tapped on it gently. The creature _flinched_ , eyes shooting up to the glass. Amélie had already started to hum by the time the creature’s eyes found her, and she saw the momentary panic before her ears pricked and she slowly approached the glass in response to her humming. Her hazelnut brown eyes were wary, but that was slowly fading in place of curiosity as the poor creature rested one ear against the glass, straining to hear Amélie’s voice again.

“Oh, she finally came out! Poor thing hasn’t been this perked up in _days_!”

Amélie turned to Angela as she approached, and the look of concern on her face must have been obvious because the doctor frowned as she knelt next to her. “You look troubled, what’s wrong?”

Amélie getured to the exhausted creature, who was now watching them while leaning on the glass. She looked like she was going to pass out. “She… she doesn’t have gills, Angela. Why is she in such deep water if she needs open _air_ to breathe?”

Angela looked briefly at the creature, then sighed and almost seemed to start to, then stop herself from giving her cousin an exasperated eye roll. “Oh Amélie, silly, she is _clearly_ a mer. Look at her fins and tail. Several people examined her when she first arrived and all agreed she needed the deep tank. She is a water breather, isn’t it obvious?” 

Amélie felt her eye twitch at that comment. “L’Ange, she is _drowning_. Look at her. She can barely swim to the top now. She barely made it to breathe a moment ago. You must drain the water or at least let her climb out to breathe and rest.” Amélie put as much urgency into her voice as she was able to without sounding _panicked_. 

Angela sighed, and she seemed about to counter Amélie’s claim and urgings with words of her own when her eyes drifted to the glass and she froze. “Oh…”

The creature seemed to _already_ be in need of air again, and she was trying to surface, struggling even _harder_ now as she tried to keep her head above water long enough to take in breath. She couldn’t keep her head up for more than a moment, sinking a few feet before trying again to reach the air.

“Open the tank, Angela. _NOW_!” 

Angela pushed herself up and was running towards the metal stairs that led to the hatch on top of the tank before Amélie finished speaking. There was no one up top, and once the blonde reached the hatch she began to pull on the valve as hard as she could trying to open it. The valve didn’t move until Amélie caught up to her and joined her in trying to open the hatch. The valve began to turn agonizingly slowly, creaking and groaning loudly in protest under their efforts until the hatch clicked and swung outward. The smell of saltwater hit them like a brick wall and Angela’s hand flew to her nose as she turned away from the smell.

The creature seemed to sense that the door was open, and she struggled to get to it, reaching up to try and grab the edge. Amélie didn’t even try to push up her sleeves or think about what she was doing, lunging forward and reaching down as Angela yelped in surprise and wrapped her arms around her cousin’s waist to keep her from falling into the tank as she grabbed for the creature’s outstretched hand. 

The creature had begun to sink again, but Amélie managed to grab her fingertips, pulling hard enough to bring her up and get a good grip on her hand. She felt cold and lifeless, and Amélie could feel her trembling from the cold water. She pulled as hard as she could, feeling Angela doing the same as the creature grabbed onto the frame of the hatch with her free hand, gasping for air as Amélie slowly hauled her out of the water. She was extremely heavy, and Amélie quickly buckled and fell with the poor thing lying on top of her, still gasping. Angela was busy pulling the rest of her tail out of the tank to close the hatch, so the creature wasn’t moving until someone moved her. 

She was clearly exhausted, completely limp and making no effort to get off of Amélie as she caught her breath. She was shivering and her skin was freezing from her prolonged stay in the tank. 

“Angela, she needs warmth, do you have anything to get her temperature up?” Amélie murmured, her voice trembling slightly as her body began to shake from the cold. 

Angela finally closed the hatch and leaned on the railing for a moment, trying to get her breath back, before she nodded and shakily stepped over the creature’s tail to reach the ladder. Her legs were shaking, most likely from a combination of shock and the realization that this poor creature was so close to _dying_ because she made a bad call. Amélie turned her attention back to the creature, who seemed to finally be catching her breath and relaxing. She was soaked, and would need to dry off before she could begin to warm herself up. Amé found herself wishing that she had brought her coat up as well, so she could use it to cover the poor creature and give her a little bit more warmth. 

When Angela returned Amélie began to sit up, carefully sliding the creature off of her and standing. Her entire outfit was soaked, not that she minded but it was pretty cold now. Once she was certain that the creature would be taken care of, moved to somewhere warm and dry, she made her way back down the stairs to grab her coat from the chair she had left it on. It was getting to be early evening and it was an hour drive to get back home. If she didn’t get home in the next two hours she would have to pilot the boat from the dock to the chateau, which was usually done by a pleasant middle aged man she had hired when she inherited her home. He would be going home in a few hours, and she didn’t want him to feel guilty if he left her on her own.

By the time Amélie had finished packing her book, reading glasses, and phone back into her bag the creature had woken up a little, and Angela had managed to coax her down the stairs while calling for help to carry her to a more suitable place to rest. The poor thing had flopped over at the bottom of the steps and looked miserable, still shivering. 

Amélie knelt next to her, and the creature blinked up at her with half closed eyes. 

“Here, petit. You need it more than me.” She murmured, ignoring Angela’s protest as she shrugged off her, admittedly very expensive coat and gently laid it over the shivering creature. The creature ducked her head away from the material, but the moment she felt how warm the coat was she relaxed, touching the fabric with timid curiosity before she pulled it tighter around her and began to curl herself up to sleep. 

“We can take things from here, Amé, you should probably leave for the night. If you want to come back tomorrow to check on her I can get you back here again.” Angela began trying to gently shoo her cousin out while also directing the four interns she had rounded up to carry the now fast asleep creature to a better spot to rest and recover. She looked exhausted, and Amélie didn’t put up a fight while being herded out of the back area and towards the exit.

“You can expect me tomorrow, I will bring her some nice things to eat.” She said over her shoulder, offering her cousin a wave as she began to make her way towards her car. Angela returned the wave and a tired smile before she turned to lock up the marina for the night. 

Amélie was thinking about the creature the entire way home, and not even trying to muffle how sad her condition made her feel. She couldn’t stop thinking about how dull and miserable her eyes looked, like she had already accepted her fate in that tank and didn’t quite realize she had been saved. She hadn’t expected to be saved and that broke her heart.

She would need a lot of help, probably even more now than she would have needed when she was initially rescued. And she needed kindness even more. She needed someone to care _about_ her, not just care for her. 

_I don’t have anything planned, it may as well be me._

She was mostly on autopilot until she made it back to the chateau, only shaking herself out of her thoughts long enough to thank and wave at her chauffeur. She wanted to go back already, she didn’t want to think about the poor creature sleeping alone in an empty room. At least she had the coat, which would have to suffice until Amélie returned the next day. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy October everyone! Who else is excited for Halloween? Hope you like this little story I started!  
> I love kudos but I like comments even more! I love to hear what everyone thinks, how they think I can improve and what I did well! Even if its just screaming nonsensically about how cute Lena's little ear fins are!


End file.
